What to do this week of September 22, 2019

The AoC Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and respect. To stay engaged through challenging times, we practice gratitude, self-care, and celebration.

I value democracy.

With respect and collaboration, we work to create a nation that welcomes all people, expands freedoms, and upholds the Constitution.

▢ Action 1: Remind the high school students in your life to register to vote. [h/t The Civics Center]

Script: Hi. I’m calling from [ZIP] to express concern about one-third of young people becoming homeless soon after they transition out of foster care, creating more barriers to school and work. Advocates recently persuaded the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create a targeted voucher program as an efficient means to mitigate this risk, and the bipartisan Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act would firmly establish the program within HUD. I’m asking [NAME] to co-sponsor H.R. 4300.

Script: Hi. I’m from [ZIP] and I’m frustrated that the Senate has yet to consider legislation the House passed over 200 days ago to require background checks on all gun buyers. A majority of Americans support this measure as a step toward curbing the rampant gun violence in this country. I insist that [NAME] pressure the Majority Leader to hold a vote on H.R. 8 and support its passage.

Script: Define American, with MIT and Harvard researchers, has conducted a study around how immigration reporting in four major U.S. newspapers (Add, where applicable: including [MY NEWSPAPER(S)]) has changed under the current administration. The report shows that in the past four years, these once-trusted publications have shown a noticeable rise in the use of denigrating terms for people who are undocumented, and a disturbing 90% increase in citations of anti-immigrant groups as neutral sources. I urge you to read “The Language of Immigration Reporting: Normalizing vs. Watchdogging in a Nativist Age” and make it your editorial policy to avoid using derogatory terminology when referring to undocumented people, as well as to avoid quoting extreme anti-immigrant, nativist, and white supremacist groups without providing context of these groups’ history, mission, funding, and ties to government officials and agencies.

▢ Action 7: Advocate against the use of systematically racist, high-risk technology to track and deport migrants. [h/t MPower Change]

Script: Hello, I’m from [ZIP] and I’m calling because I am deeply concerned about ICE’s use of facial recognition to target migrants in America. In addition to being invasive, virtually unregulated, and a violation of my Fourth Amendment rights, this technology has a notable margin for error and history of inaccuracy, and is up to 35% less accurate for minorities and people of color than it is for white males, often leading to harassment, wrongful imprisonment, or deportation. I would like [NAME] to heed the call of over 30 organizations and countless Americans, and pass legislation banning the use of facial recognition to spy on the American public.

Script: Hi, I am a constituent from [ZIP], concerned that residents of Washington, DC have no voting voice in Congress, despite paying taxes like all other citizens. H.R. 51 would uphold equality for the 700,000 Americans who live there by establishing DC statehood. This bill just received an historic first hearing, and I’m asking [NAME] to support its passage.

Acts of Gratitude

Get out your stamps, postcards, and sparkle markers for some gratitude mail.

Thank hair stylist and volunteer Eli Winters for providing respite to patients and their families at a Chicago hospital. [Share why you appreciate providing care and normalcy for people impacted by illness.]

Thank writer Francesco Marciuliano for highlighting one experience of life in prison as part of the Judge Parker comic strip. [Share why you appreciate seeing narratives about people experiencing incarceration in daily news media.]

Address: c/o King Features Syndicate, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-5238

Thank Jeff Imel, president of BMC Toys, for answering one six-year old girl’s request to honor women in the defense forces by creating women toy soldiers. [Share why you appreciate feeding children’s imaginations with toys that reflect their lives.]

Address: 2030 Margaret Ave., Scranton, PA 18508

Good news

Decent people everywhere are speaking up and working together. Just look. #GoodNews

House passes the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, which will increase the number of available family-based visas for aspiring Americans.

House passes the FUTURE Act, which will reauthorize mandatory funding programs for historically black colleges and universities and other institutions serving people of color.

State

AZ: A lawsuit settlement ensures that Arizona voters have five business days after an election to provide a signature and have their vote counted when an early or mail-in ballot’s signature does not match records.

CA state legislature passes a bill requiring all public universities to offer medication abortion at on-campus student health centers.

CA: Gov. Gavin Newsom grants commutations for 21 currently incarcerated individuals, recognizing their efforts in self-development and rehabilitation, as well as their prospects for successful community reentry.

AsylumConnect, Rainbow Railroad, Al Otro Lado, and Santa Fe Dreamers Project offer legal and logistical assistance to LGBTQ people seeking asylum in order to help them stay safe through the asylum process.

The Center for Popular Democracy Action and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) protest Jeff Bezos’s and Amazon’s complicity in ICE’s detention and deportation practices.

United We Dream launches UndocuHealth and Wellness, an initiative to help aspiring Americans deal with the stresses and anxieties of daily life on the path to citizenship.

Water Mission, Mount Pleasant Water Works, and World Central Kitchen work to provide safe water to communities in the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

Casa Arcoiris provides services and a safe space for LGBTQI+ people along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Sentencing Project shares data revealing that by the end of 2017 AK, CT, NJ, NY, and VT had reduced their numbers of incarcerated people by over 30 percent since the incarcerated population reached its peak level in 2009 .

News with heart

Married couple Ramez Alghazzouli and Asmaa Khadem Al Arbaiin reunite after years of separation due to the administration’s ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries.

Douglas Oviedo, a youth pastor sent to Tijuana under the administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, wins his asylum case.

Millions of people from over 150 countries strike to demand urgent action on climate change.

The United Kingdom’s 2021 census will include a range of non-binary and other gender and sex identifications so respondents can select the options that best match their identities.

Share the AoC Checklist

Do you know someone who would like clear actions in hard times? Please share!

Post a tweet: It’s more than a to-do list, it’s inspiration, gratitude, and encouragement for thoughtful, concerned Americans. Open this week’s @AoCChecklist here: https://americansofconscience.com/9-22-2019/

Post on Facebook: It’s more than a to-do list, it’s inspiration, gratitude, and encouragement for thoughtful, concerned Americans. Open this week’s Americans of Conscience Checklist here: https://americansofconscience.com/9-22-2019/

Housekeeping

Gratitude: A standing ovation for the AoCC volunteers–from the Production Team, Research Teams, and Social Media Teams to all the Team Captains. Thanks also to the amazing angel patrons whose support makes it all possible.

Note: The AoC Checklist is always ad-free and no-cost. If you’re able, please support this full-time effort on patreon or paypal.

About The Author

Jennifer is a writer of blogs and a teacher of social media for small business. As a Gen Xer, she's old enough to remember the Reagan 80s, but young enough to be comfortable using social media. In college, her first vote went to Bill Clinton. She wore a pantsuit when I voted for Hillary, and is proud to live in the great state Oregon, and of her Yankee heritage as a Connecticut native.